As I get older I feel like moving away from the UK is more and more possible…

who’s done it, was it hard to say goodbye to what you know?

I’d say it was harder… Family, friends, pets, home, settled in your ways etc. Wouldn’t mind fleeing to Oz but with all the aforementioned as baggage it scares me TBH

Wouldn’t mind fleeing to Oz but with all the aforementioned as baggage soaring, extreme temperatures and wildfires it scares me TBH

Depends what you are running away from. Lots of things come with you whether you like it or not and it can be harder to cope when you are not in familiar pastures.

And for Oz you need asbestos underpants at the moment.

How old are you? Wife, kids, pets, mortgage? And how good are you at your job?

I’ve done it, and while I do rethink it when I meet up with mates in the UK, I’d do it again. Pick the right place (no matter how similar/ boring you think it might be, it’ll probably be a tough first year), be realistic in your expectations and make sure you can get a job there.

Then, go for your life! 🙂

My brother did this, now lives in Perth, Australia. Our Li’ll Sis (who lives in France) tells me he was giving her grief today because we speak so seldom. If you choose to move away you may well be (unwittingly) cutting ties that you wished to keep.

Also:
MiL lives in France with SiL. SiL cares for MiL. If MiL was there alone it would be VERY difficult for all to manage. When SiL first moved out her kids, my neices, found it very hard indeed. Things are better now, although the eldest still holds a certain amount of resentment towards the situation I believe.

We lived in Oz for a year and vaguely toyed with moving out there – but then my mum had two heart attacks and the reality of being the other side of the world from the people you love struck home.

These days I’m glad my young daughter gets to see her grandparents.

If I could take everyone I love with me then I’d do it.
But at the end of the day, blood is thicker than Coopers Pale Ale.

And for Oz you need asbestos underpants at the moment.

Yeah, my Sister in Sydney is sleeping wrapped in a wet towels at the moment, trying to have a nights sleep. She’s coming home to Yorkshire in Feb for a few weeks of cooling off.

We moved to Canada, saying good bye was harder than I thought, I’d say I’m actually closer to my Mum now as we have a good long chat every weekend, we always moan and say this is better in England and that is better in England{we have been here for 4 years} but after a recent visit to ‘home’ I have to say I have well and truly moved on and have no wish to return to Blighty, it was very tough for the 1st couple of years and the missus has struggled work wise, lots of stress that isn’t to be underestimated, I think the biggest one for me is do you have things you can’t replace, like going down the pub to watch football religiously every weekend isn’t getting recreated

I have friends in the process of tying up their country house/farm/properties/businesses etc with the intention to move to the south of france or surrounding area in 3 years time, i’m more than welcome to tag along wi them and live the life of riley and the more this weather carries on and the more this government screws me over the more i’m tempted if i’m honest, i’ve got absolutely nae cash to take but that won’t be an issue in the slightest so i may just decide to do it when it come around, i have absolutely nae feelings toward my own country (scotland) that would override the desire to ****-off somewhere warm and enjoy a simple life growing our own food and drinking our own wine.

I’d be off t’morn without so much as a thought if the choice was there now.

Thats been always on my mind increasingly over the past 8 years

The biggest problem is not our Daughter but always our parents as the longer you leave it the older and dependent they become in which in no way would I hold that against them or my wife’s parents.

And it would also seem that most like myself would have chosen America,Australia,New Zealand
obvious for those whom cannot speak another language and unfortunately not on the next 1hr or 2hr
flights away on a low cost airline. Gutted

So my advice would be to have done it much younger and my parents would be as well more fitter
as we all see what lays before us what this country offers us when we are older and more dependable on state help.

But what we have done is taken advantage of the low cost property in Spain and bought an holiday home
in the Alicante region, just for the occasional break to de stress and to be enjoyed by all the family and
sunshine 322 days in the year so pretty hard to get wrong.
Also we bought on an European Urbanisation so the main spoken language is English in which benefits
my pigeon Spanish also my parents/family and friends etc.

Moving on, now that we have had it over a year and been a few times it has really made us think of the opportunities this place can give us all year round and also if we was to say now oh bugger it we are
only an 2hr 30min from Alicante to stanstead Airport.

So basically now we are in our 40’s we are now focusing on renting our two properties here
and being able to have a more relaxed lifestyle there but still have a very doable journey to see and look after our parents.

I did not want to write a book but anyone wanting more in depth info please ask.

Give it a try, I’m in NZ, you can always return. you don’t get re-runs.

I moved to Sydney with my girlfriend in September….. best thing I’ve ever done.

I think you have to remember that it doesn’t have to be permanent if you don’t want it to be – we have talked about living here for up to 3 years. When I look back to my 3 years at Uni, that flew by.

the actual logistics of moving out here is laughably easy – as long as you get a job that will support a visa.

Things I miss the most are SOME friends and SOME family. My riding buddies for example. However, there is a benefit from having a fresh start: think of all the baggage in you life that you would be rid-of. We are really enjoying filling our “new” lives with the things that we want to do, and the people we want to see…. which wasn’t necessary the case at home.

Yesterday was bloody b e a u t i f u l. 43 degrees in Sydney! get somewhere with aircon and you’re laughing.

If you need convincing, sign-up to the aquabumps blog: a professional photographer that sends out daily shots of Bondi.

Edit; In the spirit of full disclosure: That is not me ^

We did it in 2011. Moved to NZ. Generally it has been great though it took longer than we thought to settle in. I’ve lived overseas a lot but got a little bit caught out here assuming it would be too much like the UK. Our daughter, who is now nearly 19, stayed in the UK as she refused to leave her now ex-boyfriend. We miss her a lot but she won’t come over here. Our 13yo son now loves it and doesn’t want to go back. We do want to move back in a few years but if our feelings change it will be no hassle to stay.

I have two brothers, one lives in Prague and one lives in Dubai. Neither of them is particularly inclined to return to the UK.

As mikeyp said, give it a go. Time passes quickly.

We do miss our mates though, still.

And for Oz you need asbestos underpants at the moment.

This.

The 45C we had here in Adelaide is not an acceptable temperature.

Thankfully air-con and cold beer aplenty!

Not so good is that one of our field sites has been nixed by one of the fires in NSW. Last recorded soil temperature was 63C, then…… nothing

I’m on my second stint in foreign lands. Did Greece for 10 years, then that imploded so we got out of dodge and now in CH.

I’m lucky as I can travel the world with my job long as they have puters!

Been further afield and the fact they speak God’s own language is easier, but OZ/NZ nice enough places, but bloody tough to get back and time differences are a pain in the butt.

I’ll stick to Europe, like the fact things are different enough to keep you interested, but still possible to get back when needed.

I get pretty shocked when I come back to the UK…to me it seems things are going backwards, not forwards.

Is tough packing up and moving on, if there are others to think about you all have to be game, it’s tough and it’s only when you are all working to the same goal can you get through things unscathed!.

Way I look at it, life happens too quickly, you gotta take as many opportunities as you can get your grubby paws on, different experiences make you more “Worldly”.

I moved out to Vancouver six years ago. I certainly don’t regret it. Yes, there are things (and people!) I miss from the UK but overall I feel Canada is a ‘better’ place than the UK for what I want/need.

It was a pretty easy decision for me as both my parents had died several years previously so I didn’t have any responsibility to look after them.

Can’t say I’m appreciating the weather in Vancouver at the moment though as it seems to have been raining and/or under low cloud since the beginning of October 🙁

Posting from a hotel bar in Brisbane. Coming up to 11months now.

moving was tough. No question met some kiwis who were celebrating 2 years which seems the time it takes to make enough new friends to get back to life as normal.

Living in Tassie but away from the fires.

Some days you regret other some days you don’t. We both work part time now and I no longer work for the extended civil service so much better. You can brew good beer and ride all year round and mud tyres are gathering dust.

For full disclosure I came here on holiday in 96 ! Sort of,left them came back FT in 2000. Have had a parent pass away in that time and all it meant was a bit of,time on planes and some money. I miss family and friends but generally we have one, other or both come see us every year. Quite frankly our life is lovely and we have a quality of life that I could dream of in the UK. Not to say it couldn’t happen but I’m not sure how with a great view, 15min commute around beautiful bays, MtB tracks on the doorstep and a great job. It’s not all roses though so same sh1t different place sometimes.

Don’t assume that moving country will solve your life problems.

If you’re moving with a partner you need to be 100% honest and supportive of each other as you’ll need to rely on one another. If you’re single it may be simpler to move but more lonely in the beginning.

I agree with the above sentiments that it can take around 2 years to fill the gap left by friends, but I’d say that also depends on your age/stage and the culture you’re in. I moved to Sweden 18 months ago on a local contract and as we are learning the language and insist on speaking Swedish, it takes a long time to get to know people.

Sports clubs/groups are a great way to make friends. Turned up to a local ride with my singlespeed and isntantly got accepted by the other singlespeed riders as we all have a similar attitude to life. I’m finding the same with a local Tri club now too.

It takes about 4-6 years to make really strong friendships I’d say. I expect living in a UK colony would make the finding friends part a bit quicker.

Though it makes life tougher, I regret nothing and relish the challenge. If you can, do.

Like already mentioned, moving country doesn’t necessarily fix all the woes….
(it also risks bringing new issues)

That said after >8yrs in Belgium I am very pleased to have done it. It’s perhaps a bit different if you have a local partner (like me) as that helps with plenty of stuff, particularly until you have learnt the lingo. I’m fluent in Vlamglish now so that helps.

My big sis has lived overseas since >20years without really settling anywhere but perhaps now (at 44) she is starting to consider moving back to the UK for the first time. I guess despite not living there she has more roots there than anywhere.

I travel loads for my work & if I was younger I’d certainly be looking to move to Sweden. great place / great people…
Had the chance to go Stateside before coming to Belg but never really tickled my fancy. I’ve never done New Zealand but have like minded mates who really sing it’s praises…

I’ve been in the father land’s beer capital for coming on five years now. Same as Marge, my other half is a local. It has helped a great deal, but if we were to separate I would stay on here. It took me about six months till I could comfortably get by in the language and like the guy in Sweden I found that hanging around with like minded people on bikes helpeda lot.I also landed a job with some carpentry firm which meanti had to speak German.
I’ve not been back to the UK since May and other than family, real ale and the BBC there is not much that I miss.
I went traveling to oz when I was 19 and knew then that I wouldn’t spend my entire life in the UK. I found then that despite the UK being a good place to live with lots of positives, there are also other places with a lot to offer.
Here in Munich I have more than enough work to keep me busy, the alps are a short train.ride away. In an hour I’m in Austria, another thirty minutes and I’m in Italy.
The streets are for the most part clean and safe.
I’ve made good friends here, both through work and riding.

And despite the fact I don’t go back that often, Stansted is only a 90 minute flight.

Ok, taxes are higher than in the UK, but wages are higher. TV is crap, but I choose not to have one.
There are some cultural things that piss me off, like people not thanking you for holding a door open for them (usually get my own back by throwing the door back to catch their heels).

Perhaps I should add that I moved essentially because I had been sitting around jobless for three months prior to making the move. (2008 so not much work was to be found in construction). It wasn’t because I had some dreamy, romantic idea of speaking German, eating white sausages and drinking beer for breakfast.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLrT5Y3y1HA[/video]

For the last 7 months I have been living and working in Southern Austria. We decided a year ago that we wanted to live in the mountains and to be honest I have no regrets at all. I certainly helped that we have no kids and no mortgage.

We both found jobs before we left the UK (same company) and the company helped a lot with relocation and I now have a little German so that helps. Amazing how many people speak english though (even when you don’t want them too).

The major benefit has been the weather. Both for Mountain Biking and Snowboarding.

I have been back once to teh UK but couldn’t wait to get back out here. Of course I miss friends and family but I keep in contact through social media and my family have enjoyed visiting us.

I’ve been in Australia for a year now and it’s worked out really well. I’ve been welcomed very warmly by the people I work and live with. Plus I’m single, which I think is a useful advantage.

Due to a crazy workload I didn’t stay in touch with my friends and family (which is a close one) as much as I ought to have done. That will change this year. My biggest fear is something happening to my parents and me not being around to help them. I know they wish I was closer – Europe or US – but they’re happy I’m happy. It’s hard in that regard.

But was it hard to say goodbye to everything I know? Not in the slightest. There’s nothing I miss about the UK. I can’t stand the idea of stagnating somewhere forever – change and new challenges are an important part of life for me.

Yesterday was bloody b e a u t i f u l. 43 degrees in Sydney! get somewhere with aircon and you’re laughing.

See, I don’t get why that’s so good. It so hot you need aircon? I prefer it cooler so I can actually do something outside.

If you need convincing, sign-up to the aquabumps blog: a professional photographer that sends out daily shots of Bondi.

I’ve been to Bondi. SiL lived in Bondai Junction and we were these for a couple of weeks. I don’t think it’s a nice place, and that beach is nothing special. Theses nicer beaches than that in Wales.

If I was going to move overseas, I’d probably go to Italy.

I’m in Vienna. The best move I ever did.

We moved to Canada, saying good bye was harder than I thought, I’d say I’m actually closer to my Mum now as we have a good long chat every weekend, we always moan and say this is better in England and that is better in England{we have been here for 4 years} but after a recent visit to ‘home’ I have to say I have well and truly moved on and have no wish to return to Blighty, it was very tough for the 1st couple of years and the missus has struggled work wise, lots of stress that isn’t to be underestimated, I think the biggest one for me is do you have things you can’t replace, like going down the pub to watch football religiously every weekend isn’t getting recreated

Very similar to my experiences. I miss good sausages, and Robinsons squash, and tasty lamb, and other random stuff. But I’d still recommend it.

Thank you guys very much for all this information, it’s given me alot to think about.

By the way I would just like to add, I’m 18, so it’s early times still…not many ties really.

Edit: perhaps “As I get older…” was misleading :s

Inherited my parents ‘dreaming’ … The trawling of estate agents and the if only we could psyche.

I’ve travelled most of my adult life and lived in lots if different countries..

Currently visiting my father in a small piece of paradise in NZ… Stunning house, magnificent views.

My parents moved out here 3 years ago- my mum died in the UK in April….leaving dad lost in Paradise.

Only said to my partner yesterday whilst sat at the beach – it’s nice but you know what I’d miss the damp wooded rides with a English country pub stop at the end.

We moved to the SF Bay area about 10 months ago, with 8 and 10 year old.

So far it’s going really well, we came for the experience, rather than to escape anything or for riches. Our mantra at any setbacks or unexpected hiccups is “not wrong, just different”.

It might turn out to be a disaster – who knows how these things will go?

What I do know is I’d rather do it and regret it than not do it and wonder what might have been.

Can’t say I’m appreciating the weather in Vancouver at the moment though as it seems to have been raining and/or under low cloud since the beginning of October

replace “October” with “April” and you have the UK scene. Still not sure about the weather?

deserter – Member

We moved to Canada, saying good bye was harder than I thought…

I think the biggest one for me is do you have things you can’t replace, like going down the pub to watch football religiously every weekend isn’t getting recreated

You, my friend, have to begin embracing hockey. Have you been to an NHL game yet? I would honestly say, go with your wife or some friends or both, and try to appreciate the atmosphere.

I know it’s hard to embrace new sports in a new country (I have come to respect cricket and rugby, but have actually fallen out of love with football since moving to the UK), but it can be worth it on so many levels.

What city are you in?

I’ve been in Sydney for a year in a few days time and its been a good experience on the whole. Saying goodbye was harder than I thought, and coming here has certainly changed my perspective on life a bit and I realise that there are a lot of things that we take for granted in the UK.
After a couple of months I found myself thinking that Australia was the most overrated country I have ever been to, but once used to it I have come to appreciate it for what it is.
The beer here is actually quite good too!
The grass isn’t always greener, but different and I’d recommend giving it a go. Nothing has to be forever if you don’t want it to be.

I’ve been living away from the UK since ’97. Have ended up in Germany too. I have to say that after the well organized life and infrastructure of Germany it makes the UK seem like a bit of a s**t hole and quite depressing when I come home. If you do move away you will inevitably miss some things about home. At 18 I would say family would be the least of them. Like everyone has already said it doesn’t have to be permanent and you can always come home at any time. It always seems daunting when you think about it stuck at home but you just take it one day at a time and before you know it you are fully integrated in your new surroundings. I would think about a looking at a country where perhaps English is not the main language as at your age picking up a second language is much easier than later in life. Just my thoughts.

The OP is 18? I would say stop thinking, start doing.

i lived in Holland during uni, and then after uni moved to Finland. I’ve been here about 2 years now. I’ve realised that to make the most of any move abroad, you really need to realise that your ties to the UK are going to decrease as time passes… until it no longer feels like home.

I feel quite liberated now, having left UK. It’s great to see new places and do new things. I’m don’t want to stay in Finland longer than I need to, but i’m not planning to return to UK either. Next stop Oz, California, Vancouver, Singapore, Hanoi or somewhere else warmer and friendlier. 🙂

After a lifetime of travelling…

I now follow the simple mantra that I came up with –

It’s not about where you live,
Its how you live where you live !